<p dir="ltr">As nations strive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the transformation of energy-intensive industries will significantly impact job quality and worker well-being. This thesis investigates the critical intersection of employment opportunities and just energy transitions in the context of industrial decarbonization, focusing on the U.S. steel sector. We address the challenge of balancing economic, environmental, and social considerations in the shift towards low-carbon manufacturing processes. Semi-structured interviews inform the development of a choice-based conjoint survey of Indiana steelworkers, which helps quantify worker preferences for various job attributes such as shift patterns, overtime hours, and wages. The analysis employs willingness-to-pay models to elucidate the complex relationships between compensation and working conditions in the context of potential changes brought about by renewable energy integration and electrification of steel production. Key findings reveal significant disutility associated with increased overtime hours and an unexpected preference for night shifts over day shifts among respondents. The research also highlights the importance of sociotechnical solutions that account for worker needs in designing decarbonized manufacturing processes. While acknowledging limitations such as potential sample bias, this thesis contributes to the development of integrated modeling approaches that combine worker preferences with operational constraints and energy costs. The results inform strategies for achieving a just energy transition in the steel industry, emphasizing the need for policies that prioritize worker well-being alongside decarbonization goals.</p>

Effective knowledge sharing within project teams is critical to knowledge-intensive professional service firms. Prior research studies indicate a positive association between trust, social-cognitive factors, and effective knowledge sharing among co-workers. The conceptual framework proposed here builds on these studies, and draws from theoretical foundations from the organizational behavior, psychology, information studies, sociology, and management literature on organizational trust and knowledge sharing, and identifies the most significant factors found to influence organizational knowledge sharing directly and indirectly through trust. The study makes methodological contributions in the form of conceptualizations for knowledge sharing behavior, trust, and tie strength. Also, it provides a more nuanced and focused analysis, by factoring for knowledge type and co-worker working relationship. Data were collected from 275 knowledge workers (‘legal professionals’ and paralegals) engaged in shared legal project work, at one of Canada’s largest multijurisdictional law firms. The nature of their work required a significant reliance on co-workers, for both explicit and tacit knowledge. Multiple regression analysis, among other statistical techniques, was used to test the hypotheses and determine significant relationships. Of the factors examined in the study, the three found to have the strongest effect on respondents’ trust in their co-workers were shared vision, shared language, and tie strength. Furthermore, the two factors found to have the strongest effect on organizational knowledge sharing behavior were trust and shared vision. Overall trust was also found to have a mediating effect between shared vision and knowledge sharing behavior, and between shared language and knowledge sharing behavior. A significant implication for practitioners is that effective knowledge sharing among co-workers requires a nurturing manager to work on developing co-worker trust and shared vision. Furthermore, a manager wanting to promote trust between co-workers must nurture shared language and shared vision.

根據環保署統計得知92年平均每人每日垃圾產生量為0.901公斤，該年垃圾總產量約為736萬公噸，清除處理廢棄物的方法，除了過去在各鄉鎮設置垃圾掩埋場，將廢棄物當地掩埋外，還有就是興建垃圾焚化廠來替代垃圾掩埋場，以減少取得垃圾掩埋場用地的困難。雖然傳統的公營、民營的一般掩埋場與衛生掩埋場則逐年減少，但仍高達了千座以上，全台各鄉鎮幾乎皆可看見。 因為垃圾處理設施的存在，令人覺得居家週遭的生活環境不寧適。廢棄物與其他環境介質之聯結有很大的相關性，單純針對廢棄物本身所造成的污染損害進行質損估算，是困難度較高的工作。但是垃圾處理設施本身所造成不寧適感受的損害並不包含在這些相關帳表中，而可以使用損害評估法的方式加以估算表示，因此本研究之目的在於調查垃圾處理設施帶給人們不寧適感受的質損。 此種不寧適的污染損害與賠償並不存在市場交易，無法藉由市場上的供給與需求來反應民眾所遭受的質損，因此本研究採用假設市場價值評估法(contingent valuation method)之問卷的方式，調查民眾願意改善環境品質的願付價值(willingness to pay)與願意接受環境惡化的情況下，願意接受的補償價值(willingness to accept)，民眾的WTP/WTA可視為受損害的環境價值，即為廢棄物處理設施所可能產生的質損。 / The producing amount of the one’s rubbish was 0.901 kilograms every day in 2003 according to the statistics in the Environmental Protection Administration. Total output of rubbish is about 7,360,000 metric tons that year. The method of cleaning the rubbish is building landfills and incinerators in every county. But now it is hard to get the specific land to build landfill, and the government policy is that an incinerator substitute for the all landfills in a county. Though the public and private landfills decrease gradually every year, it still had several thousand landfills in Taiwan. Because of the existence of the rubbish treatment facilities, it always makes the living environment of the surrounding area at home not feel peaceful and lose amenity. The purpose of this research lies in investigating the damage that the rubbish treatment facilities cause non-amenity to people. These kinds of pollution damage and compensation do not exist the market. We can’t use the supply, demand and price in the market to response the non-amenity damage of the feeling of Residents. So our research takes the survey to investigate how much resident would be willing to pay for improving the environment amenity and willing to accept for worsening the environment amenity. The people's WTP/WTA can be regarded as the value of the environmental damage from the rubbish treatment facilities.

Effective knowledge sharing within project teams is critical to knowledge-intensive professional service firms. Prior research studies indicate a positive association between trust, social-cognitive factors, and effective knowledge sharing among co-workers. The conceptual framework proposed here builds on these studies, and draws from theoretical foundations from the organizational behavior, psychology, information studies, sociology, and management literature on organizational trust and knowledge sharing, and identifies the most significant factors found to influence organizational knowledge sharing directly and indirectly through trust. The study makes methodological contributions in the form of conceptualizations for knowledge sharing behavior, trust, and tie strength. Also, it provides a more nuanced and focused analysis, by factoring for knowledge type and co-worker working relationship. Data were collected from 275 knowledge workers (‘legal professionals’ and paralegals) engaged in shared legal project work, at one of Canada’s largest multijurisdictional law firms. The nature of their work required a significant reliance on co-workers, for both explicit and tacit knowledge. Multiple regression analysis, among other statistical techniques, was used to test the hypotheses and determine significant relationships. Of the factors examined in the study, the three found to have the strongest effect on respondents’ trust in their co-workers were shared vision, shared language, and tie strength. Furthermore, the two factors found to have the strongest effect on organizational knowledge sharing behavior were trust and shared vision. Overall trust was also found to have a mediating effect between shared vision and knowledge sharing behavior, and between shared language and knowledge sharing behavior. A significant implication for practitioners is that effective knowledge sharing among co-workers requires a nurturing manager to work on developing co-worker trust and shared vision. Furthermore, a manager wanting to promote trust between co-workers must nurture shared language and shared vision.

La volonté précontractuelle est le socle de la formation contractuelle. Au cours des négociations, les parties formulent leurs exigences et perfectionnent leurs volitions. Les manifestations de volonté à l’origine du contrat sont donc le fruit d’un processus volitif propre à chaque contractant. En dépit des apparences, le droit n’ignore pas le vouloir des parties au stade des négociations. Il s’intéresse aux mécanismes d’élaboration de cette volonté. La perception de la volonté précontractuelle est alors un enjeu essentiel dans la compréhension de l’acte qui en résulte. Il s’intéresse également aux manifestations de volonté. Celles-ci fixent ponctuellement le vouloir de leur auteur. Elles rassurent alors par leur perceptibilité. Toutefois, ces manifestations n’ont pas toujours la clarté attendue. En effet, le doute innerve la période précontractuelle et plus particulièrement les manifestations de volonté qui s’y développent. Confronté à cette difficulté, le droit doit s’adapter. Il entreprend donc de réagir en tentant d’adapter le résultat de ces manifestations. Ainsi, le contrat ne sera en définitive qu’une résurgence partielle des manifestations de volonté à son origine. Il peut par conséquent être appréhendé comme l’expression imparfaite des volontés précontractuelles à sa source. En somme, la frontière entre le précontractuel et le contractuel est ténue. L’analyse de la volonté précontractuelle et de ses manifestations va révéler les liens existant entre ces deux notions / The pre-contractual willingness is the basis of contractual training. During the negotiation, the parties draw up their requirements and develop their volitions. The demonstrations of willingness at the initiation of the contract are therefore the outcome of a volitional process for each contracting party. In spite of appearances, the legal entitlement does not ignore the will of contracting parties at the negotiating phase. It is interested in the mechanisms of elaboration of this willingness. The perception of the pre-contractual willingness is the essential stake throughout the apprehension stage of the final deed. It is highly concerned by the demonstration’s ways of a willingness. These delineate punctually the willingness of their originator. It reassures by their perceptibility. However, these manifestations are not always unambiguous like expected. Indeed, the doubt innervate the pre-contractual stage and more particularly the manifestation phase of a willingness which emerges here. Confronted with this challenge, the legal entitlement must adapts. It engages to react by trying to adapt the outcome of these manifestations. In this way, the contract will ultimately become a partial resurgence of the manifestation of veritable willingness. It can therefore be comprehended as the imperfect expression of pre-contractual willingness at its source. In essence, the border between the pre-contractual and the contractual is tenuous. The analysis of the pre-contractual willingness and its manifestations reveals the existing links between these two notions

Background: Literature has shown that negative attitudes and unwillingness to care for HIV-infected patients are prevailing among healthcare workers. This study aimed to assess the attitudes and willingness of student nurses towards caring for HIV-infected patients in some public hospitals in Gert Sibande district, Mpumalanga. Method: A contextual exploratory quantitative descriptive survey was conducted among student nurses enrolled for a four-year nursing qualification in a nursing college at Mpumalanga province. Self-administered questionnaires were completed after obtaining an informed consent. Results: A total of 122 (70.9%) students participated in this survey. Findings showed that most participants had positive attitudes 66 (52.7%) and were willing 121 (99.1%) to care for HIV-infected patients. Significant associations were revealed between participants’ previous HIV testing (p=0.012), age group (p=0.009), and their willingness to provide care to HIV-infected patients. Conclusion: Results showed a generally positive attitude and willingness by participants to care for HIV-infected patients. / Health Studies / M.A. (Health Studies)

Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Standards define target reliability levels that govern the safety of designed structures. These target levels should be around an economic optimum for the class of structure under consideration. However, society may have safety requirements in excess of that required to achieve an economic optimum. The LQI criterion can be used to determine society’s willingness to invest in safety, thereby defining a minimum acceptable safety- or reliability level. This thesis determines economically optimised reliability levels for reliability class two concrete structures in South Africa, over a range of typical input parameters. Rackwitz’s (2000) approach is used here, adjusted for the South African context. The structure is described using a simple limit state function, defined as the difference between load and resistance, with resistance a function of a global safety parameter. South African construction costs, costs of increasing safety, failure costs and discount rates are used in the objective function for economic optimisation. Life Quality Index (LQI) theory is used as a basis to derive society’s willingness to pay (SWTP) for safety and the corresponding reliability level is found by applying the LQI criterion. In the South African context the derivation of SWTP presents some challenges, which is discussed. Situations where the minimum required reliability would exceed the economically optimum reliability level are discussed. Various reliability based cost optimization case studies are conducted covering a broad range of typical concrete design situations. From these case studies a range of target reliability indices are derived for typical concrete structural components and failure modes. Obtained values are compared to current South African target levels of reliability provided by the South African loading code and recommendations are made. The approach used by Rackwitz (2000) is compared with results obtained from case studies and used as basis to estimate optimum reliability levels for other types of buildings. Functions are written in MATLAB to allow replication of the study for others seeking to derive optimum reliability indices. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Standaarde spesifiseer teiken betroubaarheidsvlakke wat die veiligheidsvlak van ontwerpte strukture bepaal. Hierdie teikenvlak moet rondom die ekonomiese optimum wees vir die klas van struktuur onder oorweging. Die samelewing verkies moontlik ‘n hoër veiligheidsvlak as wat deur die ekonomiese optimum dikteer word. Die LKI (Lewens Kwaliteit Indeks) maatstaf kan gebuik word om die samelewing se bereidwilligheid om in veiligheid te belê te bepaal en sodoende ‘n minimum veiligheidsvlak bepaal. Hierdie tesis bepaal die ekonomiese optimum betroubaarheidsvlak vir klas twee beton strukture in Suid-Afrika vir wisselende parameters. Rackwitz (2000) se benadering word in hierdie studie gebruik en is aangepas vir Suid-Afrikaanse omstandighede. Die struktuur word beskryf deur ‘n eenvoudige limiet staat funksie, gedefinieer as die verskil tussen die las en weerstand, met die weerstand as die funksie van ‘n globale veiligheidsparameter. Suid-Afrikaanse konstruksie koste, veiligheidsvermedering koste, falingskoste en diskonteer koerse word gebruik vir optimering. Die LKI teorie word gebruik om SBB (Samelewing Bereidheid om te Belê) vir veiligheid af te lei en die ooreenkomstige betroubaarheidsvlak word bepaal deur die LKI maatstaf toe te pas. In die afleiding hiervan vir Suid-Afrikaanse omstandighede is sekere uitdagings teegekom wat bespreek word. Situasies waar die minimum betroubaarheidsvlak hoer is as die ekonomiese optimum word bespreek. Verskillende betroubaarheids gebaseerde optimering gevalstudies word gedoen op tipiese beton struktuur elemente. Van hierdie gevalstudies is optimum betroubaarheidsindekse vir die tipiese beton elemente en galingsmodusie afgelei. Die betroubaarheidsindekse word vergelyk met huidige betroubaarheidsindekse soos wat voorgeskryf is in die Suid-Afrikaanse laskode (SANS10160-1(2011)). Rackwitz (2000) se benadering word vergelyk met die resultate van die gevallestudies en word gebruik as basis om optimum betroubaarheidsvlakke vir ander tipes geboue te voorspel. MATLAB funksies is geprogrameer om minimum en optimum betroubaarheidsindekse af te lei.

近年來，有兩項重要的發展影響了我們的社會，一為非營利組織的興起，一為知識經濟時代的來臨。這兩項看似無關的事，卻給予我們一些啟發。非營利組織的興起，改變了過去由政府壟斷公共領域的局面，而知識經濟則是以「知識」為基礎的「新經濟」運作模式，改變了傳統企業運作所賴以生存的生產三要素—土地、勞力和資本。 在知識經濟體系中，如何掌握及有效管理知識以促進組織的效能，已成為每一個組織重要的議題，其中的關鍵在於「知識分享」。由於非營利組織的公共性所形成的公共領域，是共同體（社區）成員之間，針對其生活領域中的公共事務，進行討論、學習和對話，而這個過程與知識的分享有關。顯見「公共性」與「知識分享」同時存在非營利組織之中，二者是否關聯，遂引發了本研究的動機。 因此，本研究進一步以「公共性」與「知識分享」為主軸，探討非營利組織的公共性與知識分享意願的相關議題。定義「公共性」的主要因素，包括公開度（透明度）、公信力、參與度、知名度、非私有性以及公共利益的功能等六大項。同時建構出非營利組織知識分享機制與公共性相關的內涵，包括建立知識分享的報酬制度、建立組織成員間的工作關係、建立組織成員的共同知識、提供組織成員一些知識交流的場所與時間、建立組織的知識仲介、建立組織內知識分享文化的領導者等六項構成要素。 本研究採用個案研究的方式進行，深入探討主婦聯盟的共同購買，這一國內具有代表性的組織，無論在公共性或知識分享上均可呈現清楚的研究成果。研究發現： 公共性是非營利組織的本質，也是非營利組織的重要特徵。非營利組織的公共性有益於組織形成有效率的知識市場，所以非營利組織可藉由提升公共性來克服知識分享的障礙，增進組織成員的知識分享意願。而增進組織成員的知識分享意願，可藉由公共性作為組織知識市場的核心，並以個人的動機、組織成員間的信任關係、以及組織文化等三個層面為架構，來建構促進組織知識分享的機制。 非營利組織除了可以藉由實施知識分享機制的活動來促進知識的分享外，同時也可維持組織的公共性，因為知識市場具有公共性的特性，所以組織在實施知識管理時，即提高了組織的公共性。 因此，非營利組織公共性與知識分享的關係，可以分為兩個層面來看，一個是彼此的因果關係，另一個是內在（內涵）與外在（表現）的關係。首先，非營利組織的公共性促進了組織的知識分享，知識分享活動則強化了組織的公共性，並且公共性與知識分享彼此有相互促進的作用。其次，非營利組織的公共性是知識分享的內涵，非營利組織的知識分享是公共性的表現。 本研究的貢獻在於提出非營利組織可藉由提升組織的公共性來增進組織成員的知識分享意願，同時也可藉由知識分享活動來強化組織的公共性。 建議對於後續的研究，可依據本研究的架構，針對「公共性不高的非營利組織」或「營利組織」進行比較、分析與研究。 / In recent years, there are two important developments impacting on our society. One is the rise of non-profit organizations (NPOs); the other is the coming of knowledge economic age. These two seemingly unrelated phenomena give us some revelations. Although the government has monopolized the public sphere, the rise of NPO changes the situation. The knowledge economy is a ‘New Economy’ based on knowledge. It also changes the traditional business operation model, which depends on three production factors—land, labor, and capital. In knowledge economy system, one important issue of every organization is how to do knowledge management effectively, so that the organization will increase its work efficiency. The key is ‘knowledge sharing’. NPO’s publicness forms a public sphere, which means the discussion, learning and discourse among community’s members about the public matters in their daily living sphere. This process is related to knowledge sharing. Obviously, ‘publicness’ and ‘knowledge sharing’ exist in NPO simultaneously. Is there any relation between these two factors? The question provides the motive of this research. The research, therefore, would like to probe further and take ‘publicness’ and ‘knowledge sharing’ as the main shaft, and investigate the relevant subjects of the publicness and the willingness of knowledge sharing in NPO. The research will define the six major factors of publicness, which includes transparency, credibility, participation, celebrity, unprivitization, and public interests. It will also construct a mechanism of knowledge sharing in NPO and the connotation of publicness. The connotation of publicness includes, (1) establish a reward system of knowledge sharing, (2) establish a operative relationship between organization and its members, (3) establish a common knowledge among organization members, (4) provide a place and time for knowledge sharing among members, (5) establish knowledge agents of organization, and (6) establish a leadership of knowledge sharing culture in the organization. The research is a case study of a representative organization in Taiwan, Homemaker’s Union Consumer Cooperation. The result shows clearly about publicness and knowledge sharing: Publicness is the nature and an important characteristic of NPO. Since knowledge sharing is based on publicness, if NPO can raise its publicness, then it can overcome the obstacles of knowledge sharing, enhance knowledge sharing in the organization, and promote the willingness of knowledge sharing among its members. NPO can also take its publicness as an axis of the knowledge market in the organization. Having the axis, it can use personal motive, trustful relationship among members, and organizational culture, to construct the organization’s mechanism of knowledge sharing. The publicness of NPO will facilitate an effective knowledge market and enhance knowledge sharing in the organization. Moreover, since publicness is the characteristic of knowledge market, so when the organization carries out knowledge management, it will increase publicness at the same time. Consequently, the relation of publicness and knowledge sharing in NPO can be seen as two aspects: one is a cause and effect relation between publicness and knowledge sharing. The other is a relation between the internal (connotation) and the external (representation). Firstly, the publicness of NPO enhances knowledge sharing in the organization, and the knowledge sharing activities strengthen its publicness. It’s a reciprocal relationship between publicness and knowledge sharing. Secondly, NPO’s publicness is the connotation of knowledge sharing, while the knowledge sharing is a representation of its publicness. The contribution of this research is addressing that NPO can promote the willingness of knowledge sharing of its members by increasing its publicness. Meanwhile, it can also strengthen its publicness through the activities of knowledge sharing. A suggestion of further study is using this research as a basis, then compare, analyze and study NPOs, which possess lower publicness, or profit organizations.

The estimation of afforestation reservation prices for small landowners in New Zealand has not been the subject of much research despite its importance in predicting future land use. Reservation prices for planting represent the minimum payment a landowner must receive before converting land from agriculture to forest. A survey of 728 landowners from every region of New Zealand who own between 20 and 200 hectares of forest as well as other unplanted land used for agriculture were surveyed about forestland, forest land owner demographics, ownership objectives, silviculture and reservation prices. In this study, reservation price strategies were investigated by offering hypothetical annual and one-time payments for converting land from agriculture to forestry. From this survey, the average one-time payment a landowner would be willing to accept to convert a hectare of land from agriculture to forestry was $3,554 and the average annual payment to convert a hectare of land was $360. The key factors influencing the reservation price were; whether or not the landowner lived on the property, if one of the ownership objectives was income from carbon, the primary agricultural enterprise and total household income. An implied discount rate was calculated for each landowner and excluding those who would not accept any payment the average after-tax discount rate was 9.7%. Small landowners indicated that their primary reason for owning plantation forest was income from timber with very few landowners using their forest land for recreation. The median farm size was 400 hectares and the median forest plantation was 37 hectares. Planting of radiata pine peaked in 1994 and 1995 with more radiata pine planted in 1994 than in all the years from 2000-2009. Most landowners are performing some type of silviculture in their forests. Ninety percent of landowners are pruning in the current rotation while only 61% plan to prune in the future. Only 26% of landowners have engaged in any commercial harvesting in the past ten years but as their current rotation matures 71% plan to replant on the same site. A majority of respondents thought the situation for forest landowners was getting better. Understanding the reservation price strategies of landowners is important for predicting future land use patterns and recognizing how close landowners are to converting land. The ownership objectives of landowners and the replanting decisions they make are critical for future timber supply. The results of this study can assist in the development of forest establishment incentive programmes. Better information about landowner characteristics will result in enhanced decision-making for the timber industry and the government in New Zealand.

Die Zeiten der Plattensammlung sind vorbei, Kassetten und CDs sind der MP3-Datei gewichen und nun wird Musik ausschließlich gestreamt. Dieses Zukunftsszenario ist bis dato noch nicht eingetreten, aber wird dies überhaupt passieren? Wird der Kauf von physischen Musikdatenträgern und digitalen Musikdateien dank der immer stärker ansteigenden Streaming Aktivitäten komplett eingestellt? Oder können beide Formen nebeneinander existieren? Um diesen Fragen auf den Grund zu gehen, wurde im Rahmen dieser Arbeit eine Umfrage mit 1.661 Studenten der Technischen Universität Dresden durchgeführt. Die Ergebnisse geben Aufschluss über die Nutzungshäufigkeiten von kostenfreien und kostenpflichtigen Streaming Anbietern sowie von CDs / Schallplatten und MP3 Musikdateien. Zudem wird aufgezeigt, dass eine geringe Zahlungsbereitschaft bei den Studenten besteht. Es werden bereits selten mehr als 5 € in Musik investiert, doch seitdem die Studenten Streaming Dienste nutzen, geben sie nach eigenen Angaben noch weniger Geld für Musik aus als zuvor. Diesem Negativtrend steht die Erkenntnis gegenüber, dass die Probanden seit der Nutzung von Streaming Angeboten weniger Musik illegal herunterladen. Auch wenn der Großteil weniger Musik kauft, so ist es etwa der Hälfte aller Befragten sehr wichtig, Musik zu besitzen, vor allem in physischer Form. Zudem wurden Nutzungsmotive der Möglichkeiten des Musikhörens erfasst, um deren Stärken und Schwächen aufzuzeigen. Die Ergebnisse verdeutlichen, dass die kostenfreie Variante des Streamens zwar häufig genutzt wird, sich die traditionellen Musikdatenträger und Musikdateien jedoch immer noch großer Beliebtheit erfreuen. Von einer kompletten Verdrängung des Kaufens von Musik kann demnach nicht ausgegangen werden.